1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the protection of computer system users. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of using social metrics in a parental control application.
2. Description of Related Art
IM is short for instant message, a type of communications service that enables a computer system user to create a kind of private chat room with another computer system user, sometimes called an IM friend or buddy, in order to communicate in real time over the Internet. IM is analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication.
However, an IM friend can be a threat, e.g., can be an adult trying to form an unauthorized relationship with a child. Accordingly, many parents restrict who is allowed to be an IM friend with their child.
Unfortunately, managing a child's IM friends is a tedious task for a parent. Typically, the only information available to a parent in deciding whether to allow or block an IM friend is the word of their child and the screen name of the IM friend. Accordingly, even after allowing their child to have an IM friend, a parent often must repetitively discuss the behavior of the child's IM friends to insure the IM friends are not a threat.
Of course, many parents will fail to closely monitor their child's IM friends, or their child will not be entirely truthful about the behavior of the child's IM friends. In either event, the child has an increased vulnerability to any IM friend that is an actual threat.